Loves' Moment of Truth
by ElaineDex
Summary: Memories....Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs...but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?
1. Chapter 1

Date : 23.09.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 1 of ?

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

"McKay, what did you do this time?", Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard's voice buzzed in the Doctor's ear as the entire city of Atlantis continued to shake as it had been doing for the past ten minutes.

"It's not me", Rodney's anxious voice came back.

Sheppard and Dr Weir exchanged a glance as they began to move toward McKay's lab.

En-route Ronon joined them.

"What's goin' on?", he asked amidst the noise of the trembling walls and the screaming city-dwelling Athosians.

"McKay says its not him", Sheppard said in response, pressing his ear-piece he continued,

"Major Lorne? How's the East side looking?".

"It's shaking too Sir", Lorne's voice crackled back, interference making him hard to understand.

"Ellie's going to head to the city core to see if she can see anything".

"I'll get McKay to head that way too", Sheppard confirmed before stepping up the pace toward the lab.

From the mainland, the Athosians there watched with horror as a silvery-white light, that they had to shield their eyes from, snaked it's way around the centre turret of Atlantis.

They gasped as it reached the top and a bolt of what appeared to be lightening shot up into the sky.

Back inside the city a loud crackling noise sounded and Ronon and Sheppard exchanged a glance.

"I do not like the sound of that", Sheppard said.

"What's happening?", Lyssa asked as she joined them with Teyla.

Before Sheppard could respond though, the centre turret produced an electro-magnetic pulse that bounced outwards, through the city and out across the ocean and the mainland.

It knocked everyone in it's path off of their feet and into unconsciousness.

**OOoOO**

Sheppard groaned and rolled onto his back, his head aching as though he'd spent the night drinking heavily.

He opened his eyes and blinked before sitting bolt upright and reaching for his gun, that he found wasn't there and he saw a huge man with dreads staring back at him, some kind of blaster gun trained upon him.

"Who are you?", Ronon asked.

Sheppard glanced around at the surrounding unconscious people and replied,

"Who are you?".

"I asked first", Ronon said as Weir began to stir.

Ronon immediately pointed Sheppard's gun, which he'd taken from the holster on his leg, at Weir and her eyes widened as she said,

"What's going on? Who are you?".

Sheppard rubbed his eyes as Lyssa and Teyla began to wake up and they both sat up and said at the same time,

"Who are you?"

"Well I don't know about everyone else here but I'm beginning to see a definite pattern forming", Sheppard said and Ronon looked at him and he had to grudgingly concede that something was obviously very wrong here, wherever 'here' was.

**OOoOO**

On the East side of the city Ellie sat up and rubbed her temples. What the hell had just happened? She looked around her at several unconscious, uniformed men, all armed and she decided to get out of there.

She had no idea who they were or what they were capable of and she didn't fancy sticking around to find out.

Just as she disappeared around a corner, Lorne sat up and groaned.

"What the hell………?", he muttered, glancing at Major Reece who was also coming to.

"Who are you?", Reece asked.

"I could ask you the same thing", Lorne replied.

It was obvious that they were on the same side due to their similar clothing but as for what side that was and what they were doing in that place, they had no idea.

**OOoOO**

The silence that had descended upon the city following the pulse soon began to fade as more and more confused people began to wake up.

The Athosians seemed to go into blind panic mode, running around, looking for someone whom they might recognise. Children screamed and cried as they too looked for a familiar person to look after them.

"We need to do something", Teyla said as she and Lyssa tried to comfort some of the distressed people.

"Like what?", Ronon asked seeming not overly concerned with the situation.

"It's obvious that something has happened to our memories", Weir said and they all looked at her as she continued,

"We must all be at this place for a reason and we need to discover what that was………someone needs to take charge and calm these people down before they destroy it".

"Have anyone in mind?", Lyssa asked, her eyes looking over Sheppard and then Ronon as she tried to decide who looked the most capable.

Weir stepped forward and Sheppard wondered what she was doing as she reached for the chain around his neck.

"You must be Military of some kind", she said, eyeing his dog-tags before glancing at Ronon to see he had some too although his were battered and looked battle-worn.

They looked around and saw that there were other men, similarly clothed to Sheppard and Weir said,

"You two should find out who is the highest ranking amongst you and then get some order going amongst the people. We need to set up a system to see who knows what and then we need to try to find out what the hell happened to us all".

"Sounds like a plan", Sheppard said, glancing at Ronon who eyed him warily.

"How do I know I can trust you?", he asked.

"How do I know I can trust you?", Sheppard replied and Ronon glared at him.

"Just get on with it, none of us knows who we can trust at this point", Lyssa said causing Sheppard to look at her.

He wondered who the leggy blonde was, she was very attractive.

She too had on the military style combats, vest and boots but he noticed she wore no tags, neither did the smaller woman at her side.

Just then a rather disgruntled looking McKay joined them hugging a lap top to his chest as though his life depended upon it.

"Who are all these people? What the hell is going on?", he asked of no-one in particular and Ronon and Sheppard exchanged a glance.

"You look like you may know how to operate some of the equipment around here……you can come with us whilst we try and sort out some order around this place", Sheppard said to Rodney whose eyes widened with distaste at the thought of having to go with the two men who were staring at him.

"We'll keep you safe", Sheppard cajoled which seemed to swing it for the nerdy type looking man and he seemed to visibly relax as he stepped forward.

"Well now….why didn't you say that in the first place?", Rodney asked.

**OOoOO**

Ellie wandered around what appeared to be a city, dodging screaming and panicking men and women who appeared to be dressed as peasants and she wondered what kind of place this was.

She was obviously not on her own in the fact that she could not remember who she was or what she was doing here as she overheard many a conversation on her route that told her that everyone was in the same scary situation.

She was about to head up some stairs when a mans' voice came over the cities' comms system and she paused as did everyone around her to listen to what he had to say.

"My name is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard…….apparently………and I'd like to try to restore some kind of normality to this place we all find ourselves in. Could you please all try to remain calm and make your way toward the main room where the large circle-looking thing is……..", Sheppard paused and looked to Rodney who shrugged as he didn't know what the huge ring was for either.

"Um…….if you think that you are Military of some kind and are wearing tags, we'd like to see you first so…….head on down here……thanks", he finished off, grimacing as the comms squeaked annoyingly.

"Large circle-looking thing?", Ronon queried as the first lot of people began to enter the gate-room and Sheppard shrugged, at a loss to what he should have said.

Ellie changed direction and followed the throng of people, some of whom looked to be the military types the man had requested.

She needed to find out if she could be of any use and possibly who she was.

**OOoOO**

When it was established that Sheppard was in fact the highest ranking officer there, closely followed by one Major Evan Lorne and a Major James Reece, they set up a row of tables at the top of the stairs in the gate room and Ronon formed orderly queues of people who waited in line behind him to have their tags and names written down and recorded by Sheppard, Lorne and Reece.

Each person was given a sticker with their name written on it and were told to stick it to the front of their clothing and await further instructions.

Things began to get complicated though as the non-military people began to step up to the tables.

They saw Weir, Teyla and Lyssa first.

"So……what do we call you?", Sheppard asked of Lyssa who glared at him.

"Are you trying to be funny?", she asked and he grinned up at her.

"Of course not….but if you really don't know your own name then we are going to have to think up one for you", he replied and she folded her arms and glanced across at Weir and Teyla who were having the same problems with Lorne and Reece.

Lorne looked at Weir's T-shirt.

"We could call you Red", he suggested and she shrugged so he wrote the word on a sticker and gave it to her.

Reece looked at Teyla and frowned. She looked like some kind of beautiful, exotic princess and he didn't have a clue what to call her.

"You look like quite a calm person….how about if we call you Serena?", he asked suddenly and Teyla smiled.

"I do not find that name displeasing so yes, that would be fine", she replied, taking the sticker from him and placing it above her breast, making Reece gulp and look away.

Lorne smiled at the other man's obvious attraction to the woman he had named Serena but his smirk faded as Ellie stepped up before him and she smiled disarmingly at him.

"Hi", she said and it was Reece's turn to laugh as Lorne looked up at the petite brunette.

"Hi", Lorne replied as Ellie leaned forward, her hands resting on the table in front of Lorne.

"I really don't know who I am but I get the feeling I could help so if you could just bear that in mind?", she asked and Lorne smiled and nodded. She looked like an intelligent woman and at this early stage they had to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

"Sure…..Shorty……", he replied, handing her the sticker that he'd written her new 'name' upon.

"Shorty?", she said, then grinned at him, unable to deny the fact that she was only small in height.

"Why don't you stand over there with our Tech Guy….see if you can give him a hand", Lorne said indicating to where Rodney was messing with a console.

"Sure, okay", Ellie replied moving away and Lorne watched her go until someone else stepped up before him and took his attention.

"How about we call you Blondie?", Sheppard was saying to Lyssa who glared at him.

"Is that the best you can come up with?", she asked and he regarded her.

"Well………", he began but she snatched the sticker from his hand and placed it over one of her pert breasts, causing Sheppard to shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"It'll do", she said heading over to Weir and Teyla.

Sheppard smiled and shook his head as a man in a white coat moved in front of him.

"My name, according to this badge, is Dr. Carson Beckett but I wouldn't advise anyone to get sick because I don't remember knowing a bloody thing about medicine", Beckett said and Sheppard sighed.

"Great".

"Isn't it", Beckett agreed and Sheppard made a note of the mans' name and supposed occupation as Dr Kate Heightmeyer moved to stand before Lorne.

Time moved on and once everyone had been given a name or number to record their presence in the city, Sheppard, Lorne, Reece and Ronon began to answer questions that people began to throw at them as best they could.

Where people were to sleep was one of the things that people seemed most concerned about.

"All I can suggest is that you find a room you like and use it with respect, after all, that room and all it's contents will probably belong to someone else and when we figure out what's happened to us and we hopefully get our memories back, people are going to want their own stuff back in the same condition they left it in", Sheppard said.

"Yeah….take your time as you look around….see if the room jogs any memories before you take it and as the Colonel said, please treat personal effects with respect", Lorne added.

"If I find out anyone has damaged anything that belongs to me I'll kill them", Ronon piped up, eliciting a gasp from the room and Sheppard raised his eyebrows at Ronon who grudgingly relaxed a little.

"We'll have regular updates broadcast to you but if any of you feel the need to come and speak to us whilst we try and work on a solution to this, please don't hesitate", Sheppard said.

Eventually people began to move away, searching for something that was familiar to them.

Sheppard and Lorne moved over to where Rodney and Ellie appeared to be arguing over the console and Sheppard said,

"Hey! Cut it out you two……..have you managed to figure out how this thing works?".

"Does it look like it?", Rodney asked and Sheppard sighed.

"Well….keep at it, you may get lucky".

He turned to the others.

"We should patrol the city, make sure everyone is behaving themselves. Ronon, you're with me, Lorne you take Lieutenant Franks. Reece, sort out some other teams of two and send them out".

"Yes Sir", Reece said moving away to do Sheppard's bidding.

"What about us?", Weir asked indicating to herself, Lyssa and Teyla.

"Have a look around, see if anything comes to mind……find yourselves somewhere to sleep", Sheppard replied and the three women looked at one another.

For the time being it seemed there was little else that they could do.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Date : 24.09.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 2 of ?

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

Sheppard let his feet carry him in the direction he'd been told the sleeping quarters were.

He had no idea which were his own and so he decided to let fate decide where he should end up that night.

Major Lorne had agreed to take first security watch and so Sheppard had decided to go and try to get some sleep whilst he had an opportunity to.

He opened the first door that took his fancy and glanced around the darkened room. He couldn't see much but decided not to bother turning the lights on.

He tugged his boots off and his combats and pulled his T-shirt over his head before slipping in between the sheets of the bed.

No sooner had his head touched the pillow than he found himself flat on his back, a soft female body straddling him and pushing a knife to his throat.

"What the hell…..?", he began but trailed off as he heard Lyssa's voice.

"What do you think you are doing?", she asked, reaching over to flick on the bedside light.

Sheppard blinked up at her then grinned as he took in the fact she only wore a black vest-top and black panties.

"Blondie….Hi!", he said and she tutted and got off of him, pulling a sheet off the bed and wrapping it around herself.

"What are you doing in here?", she asked and Sheppard sat up and she looked away, trying not to appreciate the sight of his almost naked body.

"Well I was going to attempt to get some sleep", he replied, watching as Lyssa moved toward his discarded clothes.

She scooped them up off the floor and threw them at him.

"I suggest you find another room as this one is already taken", she said and Sheppard sighed and began to re-dress.

"We could share…..", he said then upon seeing the look upon her face added, "Okay, maybe not".

"Goodnight then", he said as he crossed to the door and Lyssa glared at him until he disappeared through it and closed it behind him.

Once he'd gone Lyssa blew out the breath she hadn't realised that she had been holding. Out of all the rooms he could have chosen he'd had to pick the one that had appealed the most to her too.

It was so frustrating not knowing who she 'knew' and who she didn't. She unwrapped the sheet from her body and re-fixed it onto the bed then climbed back in.

Maybe, just maybe if she went to sleep now, when she awoke in the morning she would find that this was just one huge nightmare………maybe.

**OOoOO**

Lorne stepped over the sleeping form of Rodney and crouched by Ellie's side as she fiddled with some wires under the console she had been working on all evening.

"Why don't you leave it for now and carry on in the morning? You may get further after a good nights sleep", he suggested and Ellie looked at the Major as she stopped what she was doing and moved up onto her knees beside him.

"You might be right…..I don't know if I'm doing more harm than good at the moment", she said and Lorne smiled.

"At least you're having a go at helping", he said and Ellie looked away self-consciously as he regarded her.

He was very good looking and she wondered if she'd known him at all before they'd lost their memories. She smiled to herself and shook her head at her foolish notion. Why on earth would a man like him take a grain of notice of someone like her?

"What is it?", Lorne asked on seeing her slight head movement and her soft smile.

She looked at him and replied,

"Nothing…….really. I was just thinking about how bizarre all this is……us having no memories of anything. I mean…..how do we know if anyone of us is married or have children, or were sleeping together….", she trailed off and coloured up at her words but Lorne reached for a note pad and pen.

"That's a damn good point", he said scribbling something down.

"What is?", she asked and he looked back at her.

"We should advise people not to get…..involved with anyone…..you know just in case they get 'involved' with the wrong person".

"That's good advice…..pity no-one mentioned that before I just went and got into bed with Blondie", Sheppard said appearing at the top of the steps and Lorne bit back a smile at the C/O's disgruntled expression.

"I take it Blondie wasn't pleased", Ellie said and Sheppard shook his head.

"Not overly", he replied and Ellie stood as did Lorne.

"I should go find a room then….", she said and Lorne was about to offer to walk her over that way when Ronon's deep voice said,

"I think I just found a room that might be yours Shorty…..there were clothes similar to what you're wearing now so I threw out the man and woman who were going to use it and told them it was taken…..I'll take you there now if you like".

"Oh…..thanks…..I think", Ellie said, glancing at Lorne before heading off to join Ronon.

Lorne and Sheppard watched them go before turning away and Lorne said,

"She just came up with a valid point Sir. We really should advise people to refrain from…..you know……just in case they are with the wrong person".

"Yeah…I guess that sort of thing could lead to all sorts of complications when we get our memories back", Sheppard agreed and Lorne nodded as they both prayed that they would indeed get their memories back and soon.

**OOoOO**

Ellie glanced around the room that Ronon had left her in and headed over to the wardrobe that was indeed packed with dresses very similar to the one she was wearing.

There was no saying that this was her room though…….just because she had one dress like the others it did not mean that they were hers.

Hung next to the dresses were some men's shirts and T-shirts and a couple of pairs of jeans and combats and she realised with a jolt that if this was her room then she had obviously been sharing it with a man and possibly a Military man at that.

She looked around hoping to see a picture or something that would give her a clue as to whom this room belonged to but there was nothing on show and she was reluctant to rummage through the drawers just in case they weren't hers.

She eventually opened one drawer and came across what looked like a wedding album. Gleefully she opened it only to find the pages empty and she put it back disappointedly. She mooched a bit further but turned up nothing significant.

'Damn it what was wrong with these people', she thought, 'have they never heard of personal trinkets and stuff'.

She moved across the room and popped her head into the second bedroom and saw that it must be a child's room as there were toys scattered here and there. She moved back and closed the door, frowning. She didn't recall having a child and surely she would…..wouldn't she?

Sighing she sat on the bed and then lay back.

She should try and sleep and then maybe when she woke up she may just remember something useful.

**OO**

Sheppard turned to Lorne and said,

"Look, you may as well go and try to rest….I'm wide awake now so I'll cover the watch".

"You sure Sir?", Lorne said and Sheppard nodded as he looked at Rodney who was still asleep on the floor and snoring rather loudly.

"Yeah I'm sure….off you go Major".

Lorne headed off and as Sheppard had done earlier he just let his feet guide him to a room.

He opened the door and moved inside, his steps faltering as he saw Ellie lying on her side on top of the bed covers, facing the door and sound asleep.

She was still fully clothed but her dress had ridden up slightly and he got a good view of her thighs and he looked away, feeling guilty for looking at her when she was not aware of his perusal of her.

He turned and left the room and went in search of another, trying to get the image of the sleeping woman he only knew as Shorty out of his mind as he went.

**OOoOO**

The next day Ellie was taking a break from the 'Tech Guy' who was beginning to get on her nerves somewhat when the woman she knew as Blondie came to sit beside her.

"Hey", Lyssa said, placing her food tray next to Ellie's.

"Hi", Ellie replied.

"So…..are you and that weird guy getting anywhere with the technology stuff?", Lyssa asked and Ellie shrugged.

"We got the console to light up this morning but we still can't seem to access anything. It's the strangest feeling though…….I feel like I know how to do it, I just can't make my brain access the information".

Lyssa nodded just as Lieutenant Franks and Major Reece stopped at their table.

"You ladies mind if we join you?", Reece asked and Ellie looked up at him, dazzled by his clear blue eyes.

"Uh….no, I guess not", she said, glancing at Lyssa as the two men sat down.

A few tables away, Sheppard frowned and looked at Ronon who was shovelling food into his mouth in a quite uncivilized way.

"I really should get that announcement out", he thought out loud and Ronon looked at him.

"What announcement?", he asked, his mouth full.

Sheppard grimaced and jabbed a thumb in the general direction of where Lyssa and Ellie were sat with Reece and Franks.

"The one where I need to warn people about the dangers of getting 'involved' with other people. It could lead to all kinds of trouble once we get our memories back".

"I wouldn't bother", Ronon told him, taking a huge swig of his water.

"You wouldn't?", Sheppard asked, raising an eyebrow as Ronon shook his head.

"Nah. If people want to mate they will do and no announcement from you will make them do otherwise".

"Mate?", Sheppard said glancing back at Lyssa only to see her smile at something Franks was saying.

"Yeah……you know….when a man and a woman……", Ronon trailed off as Sheppard waved his hands at him.

"Alright, I know what mating is…….I just don't think it's a good idea in our present situation".

Ronon sat back in his chair and looked over at Lyssa and Ellie.

"Oh I dunno………I can't decide which one to make a move on first…….I like the blonde, she seems like she'd make you fight for what she has to offer and I love a good challenge…..but then the little brunette…..she looks all soft and giving and I…….", he stopped as Sheppard stood up.

"I need to go make that announcement……right now", he said leaving Ronon alone, a huge grin upon his face.

**OOoOO**

Later that day Sheppard realised that making the 'announcement' may not have been such a good idea after all as people now seemed to be more aware of the fact that sex, perhaps without the strings, was now readily available.

"You could have maybe worded it differently", Lorne said as he and Sheppard walked down a corridor to check out another part of the city that they weren't sure about.

"Okay, so how would you have said '_keep your paws off one another until such time as we figure out who is officially sleeping with who' _then?", Sheppard replied indignantly and Lorne sighed.

"I don't know Sir but I just think……", Lorne began but stopped as Sheppard opened a door to what looked like a huge docking bay were several small ships were stationed.

"What do we have here?", Sheppard said and Lorne looked around as the thought that maybe they used to fly these things around dawned upon them.

**OOoOO**

Ellie and Rodney had just made a bit of a breakthrough with the console when another one behind them began to light up like a Christmas tree and they looked at one another as part of the ceiling to the right of them, above where the huge circle stood, began to open.

"What the hell….?", Rodney said, turning to look at the console that was still going crazy.

"What's going on?", Lyssa asked as she and Weir came to stand by them and Ellie shrugged.

"I'm not sure. The sensors to the other console seem to be going haywire but……", she trailed off as a small looking ship descended from above and hovered in front of them, Sheppard and Lorne looking at them from the cock-pit.

"Are you two out of your minds?", Rodney yelled, waving his hands around, "You could have given me a heart attack".

Inside the ship, Sheppard grinned at Lorne.

"What's he saying?", he asked and Lorne shrugged.

"Maybe he's saying he'd like to go for a ride", he offered.

Ellie looked over the flashing console and found what she was looking for. She pressed the button and her voice came over the comms inside the ship.

"Where did you two find that thing?", she asked and Lorne looked for some way to respond but Sheppard found the button first.

"In a docking bay above. There are a few ships like this", he replied and she nodded, smiling at them.

"Yes, well…..put it back where you found it and get back here. I think I've managed to get into the system finally", Rodney huffed, moving Ellie out of the way so that he could speak into the console and she glared at him.

Sheppard saluted at Rodney before gently manoeuvring the ship back to it's resting place.

A few minutes later and Sheppard and Lorne joined Ellie, Rodney, Lyssa, Ronon and Weir at the console.

"I think I……sorry 'we'", Rodney corrected himself as Ellie turned to glare at him again, "have managed to tap into the cities' database. I'm now going to try and access our personnel files to see if we can figure out who we are".

They all watched with baited breath as he tapped away furiously on the consoles' key pad and finally he stepped away and held his hands up to the screen above them triumphantly.

"Voila!", he said but they all just continued to look at him expectantly.

"It's blank", Ronon said, stating the obvious and Rodney's smile faltered as he looked at the screen to see for himself.

"No….that can't be right", he muttered and Ellie folded her arms and shook her head.

"It's right……..whatever your name is….", then she added, "From the looks of it, it's not just us whose had our slates wiped clean……..there are no records of us on here….they've gone".

"Great…..that's just great", Rodney said dramatically and Sheppard folded his arms.

"Can you not see if there's a back-up or something?", he asked and Ellie nodded.

"I'll try and see what I can come up with", she offered as Rodney seemed to go off into his own little world, muttering to himself.

"Okay good….one of us will check in with you later", Sheppard said indicating to himself and Lorne and Ellie risked a glance at the Major who was watching a distressed looking Rodney who was beating himself up over the fact that the records had vanished.

She sighed and brushed past Lorne, feeling suddenly deflated. All hers and the Tech Guys' work for the past day and a half now seemed pointless and she didn't really know what to try next.

"Keep going", Weir said, laying a hand on Ellie's shoulder encouragingly and Ellie nodded and mustered a smile for the woman known as Red.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Date : 25.09.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 3 of ?

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

A couple of days passed by pretty non-eventfully and everyone on Atlantis seemed to settle into their make-shift lives with relatively few problems considering their predicament.

One afternoon, Ellie and Rodney were pottering with the console that appeared to be linked with the huge circle when suddenly it began to come to life, the small symbols that adorned the edges all lighting up one after the other.

"What did you press?", Rodney asked Ellie accusingly and she stared at him, her mouth open as the circle kawooshed into life, making her jump with fright as did the surrounding people who were milling around the gate room.

Then it was Rodney's turn to jump as Lt. Col. Samantha Carter appeared on the screen before him.

"Dr McKay, glad you decided to check in with us. We were beginning to get worried about you lot on Atlantis, you do know you missed your scheduled report twenty four hours ago don't you?", she asked and Rodney stared at the stunning blonde on the screen before him, his mouth hanging open almost stupidly.

"Dr McKay……..Rodney?", Sam prompted and Rodney turned and looked behind him before turning back and saying warily.

"Are you talking to me?".

Sam frowned as Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell appeared beside her.

"Hey Rodney……is that Shorty I can just see there next to you?", he asked and Rodney turned to Ellie and they frowned at one another.

"Is that actually your real name?", Rodney said and Ellie moved closer to him so that she could see the people on the screen.

"Ah….I'm……..Shorty", she offered and Mitchell waved at her.

"Hey, how's married life treating you?", he asked and she gasped as he continued, "Did Lyssa and Sheppard's big day go off alright?".

When neither Ellie nor Rodney replied immediately, Sam and Mitchell exchanged a glance and Sam said,

"Is everything okay there?".

"Ah……well……..um what did you say my name was again?", Rodney asked and Sam's frown deepened further.

"Rodney….", she said and he sighed.

"Rodney…..that's just wonderful……why Rodney……of all the names….?", he muttered, then added, "But you did say I was a Doctor though..…right?".

"Er…..guys….what's going on?", Mitchell asked, his concern growing at their odd behaviour.

"That's just it…we don't know what's going on and who are you…exactly?", Ellie said and Sam folded her arms.

"Where's Dr Weir?", she asked suspiciously and Rodney and Ellie exchanged a glance before Rodney replied,

"Um….we don't actually know who 'Dr Weir' is…….we sort of all lost our memories…..here on 'Atlantis' did you call it……?", he trailed off as Sam and Mitchell both shouted at the same time,

"Lost your memories?!"

Ellie moved closer to the screen and said,

"Could you please just tell me my name…..and you said I was married?".

But before the two strangers could respond, the connection died leaving Rodney and Ellie staring at the screen in desperation.

"Damn it……..Rodney………can you not get it going again?", Ellie asked and Rodney turned to look at her.

"It was you that got it going in the first place….I didn't touch a thing", he said and Ellie wanted to scream in frustration.

"I'm taking a break", she said, heading down the stairs and past Sheppard and Lorne who were on their way up to see how things were going.

Lorne went to smile at Ellie but she didn't even glance at him as she fled past them and he frowned and glanced back over his shoulder as he continued to follow Sheppard up toward the Tech Guy.

"What's going on?", Sheppard asked.

"My name is Rodney!", Rodney announced and Sheppard raised an eyebrow at him as he replied,

"Well….that's……nice".

"Did you remember that all by yourself?", Lorne asked and Rodney shook his head.

At length he told them what had happened with the circle and about the two people appearing on the screen and how they had seemed to know them because they had said they'd missed a report check-in time or something.

"This place is called Atlantis. Oh and before I forget, you and Shorty are married….apparently", he finished, pointing at Sheppard who froze and glanced at Lorne who looked away, trying to hide the disappointment he felt rush through him at the news that the petite brunette was taken.

"Married? For how long……? What the hell…..I'm not even sure I like brunettes…..", Sheppard spluttered and Rodney shook his head.

"No, no…..not you and Shorty, well, yes you and her, but to other people. Your wife is someone called…..Lyssa, I think the man called her".

"Lyssa……..", Sheppard repeated the woman's name and then said it again as though rolling the name around on his tongue would suddenly make her appear before him.

"So Colonel Sheppard isn't married to Shorty?", Lorne asked and Rodney nodded.

"That's what I just said wasn't it".

"Where was she headed just now?", Lorne asked and Rodney glanced at him distractedly as he began to fiddle with the console again.

"Huh? Oh…….she said something about wanting a break. I think she's a little annoyed that I know my name now and she still doesn't know hers".

Lorne nodded and moved away from Sheppard as Rodney began to show him the progress they'd made on some of the other computer systems and he smiled as he heard Sheppard saying,

"You know I really don't feel married……."

He went in search of Ellie and found her nursing a coffee in the mess hall.

He took hold of the chair next to her and spun it around, straddling the seat and resting his arms on its back as he looked at her.

"You alright?", he asked and she looked at him and shrugged her shoulders.

"I just found out I'm married", she said flatly and Lorne smiled.

"That's good………isn't it?", he asked gently and she sighed.

"That would depend on who my husband is I suppose".

"Mmmm…..I guess it would", Lorne agreed and Ellie twisted in her seat slightly.

She reached out and hooked a finger under the chain of his dog-tags and Lorne moved forward slightly as she pulled on them so that she could read the inscriptions.

"At least you know your name……….", she said trailing off as unbidden, an image popped into her head of her pulling a man down toward her by his tags. They were naked and in bed.

In her mind she saw herself looking up into the mans' eyes and she gasped and her fingers let go of Lorne's tags.

"Are you okay?", he asked looking at her with a concerned expression and she blinked at him, trying to clear the image from before her eyes.

"Ahem…..yeah…..I'm fine…..I just think I'm a little tired", she replied and Lorne nodded.

"Well……ditch that coffee and go and get some rest. You and……..Rodney are doing great but you'll work better if you get some sleep".

Ellie sighed and stood.

"I'll see you later then", she said and Lorne smiled at her as she left.

He wondered who her husband was and if he appreciated what he had……

**OOoOO**

Back in the SGC, Sam and Mitchell headed to see General Landry and recommended that they head to Atlantis with the Daedalus on it's return journey to check out what was happening in the city as their brief conversation with Ellie and Rodney had disturbed them greatly, especially the mention of memory loss.

If the entire city couldn't remember anything about themselves then how the hell were they going to manage on a long-term basis? They were wide open to any enemy attacks, least of all from the Wraith.

"Okay….you have a go", Landry agreed. "The Daedalus leaves tomorrow so make sure you're ready".

"Yes Sir", Mitchell said as he and Sam went to leave to inform Teal'c, Daniel and Vala of their latest mission.

**OOoOO**

Lyssa laughed as she spun and dodged the stick that Ronon was brandishing at her as they worked out in one of the training rooms.

"I thought you said you were good", she teased, laughing again as Ronon growled at her.

He had asked her to join him for a sparring session after watching her training with the woman called Serena the other day but he had seriously underestimated just how good Blondie was.

He upped the anti and managed to get Lyssa flat on her back and he straddled her hips as he wedged the stick against the curve of her neck.

"Do you surrender?", he asked, his eyes flicking to her lips which parted under his gaze and Lyssa bucked her hips in an effort to move him.

It didn't work but the action made Ronon's eyes darken with desire and he quickly threw the stick to one side and imprisoned her hands at either side of her head, holding her down.

Lyssa looked up at Ronon and took in his rugged good looks and she felt her stomach flutter in appreciation.

"Let me go", she said, her voice husky and Ronon lowered his head down to her neck and although his lips didn't actually touch her skin, she could feel the warmth from his breath and she felt her nipples harden beneath her vest top.

"You sure that's what you want?", he asked gruffly and she nodded slowly.

"Pity", Ronon said before springing up off of her and leaving her flat on her back on the mat as he left the room grinning broadly.

**OOoOO**

Ellie had decided she wanted to work alone the next day as she was getting more and more agitated by Rodney and the way that he kept telling everyone he came into contact with that he was a Doctor.

What made her laugh though, was the fact that he had no idea whatsoever, what exactly he was a Doctor of.

She was up in one of the power rooms, messing with yet another console which she thought may have something to do with the infirmary when she realised that she needed to flick a switch that was quite high up on the wall.

Frowning she stood on her tiptoes but realistically there was no way she could reach it.

She spied a chair that unfortunately had wheels on the ends of the legs but she couldn't be bothered going back down to the mess hall to get one that didn't and so, against her better judgement, she clambered up onto it and reached precariously up to the switch.

She had just about got it when Ronon's deep voice startled her.

"Hey, be careful", he warned and she turned at the sound of his voice but unfortunately the swivel chair turned with her and she lost her balance.

"Ooohhhh", she said, her arms flailing as she began to topple from the chair as it moved out from under her feet.

Ronon moved quickly and caught her as she fell.

They landed on the floor with Ellie sprawled across Ronon, her breasts pressed against his chest and her face buried in the crook of his neck, her hands gripping his strong upper arms for support.

Ronon's hands had automatically gripped her hips and as they lay for a moment trying to assess whether the other was hurt, Ellie became aware of his fingers tightening against her, warm and caressing through the thin material of her dress.

"I'm sorry…..did I crush you?", she managed to ask, easing her top half away from him slightly and Ronon groaned as the action forced her lower body into closer contact with his and she sat up further so that she was straddling him.

Ronon also sat up and Ellie gasped as she felt his erection press against her intimately through his leather trousers and she blushed to the roots of her hair as he slid his hands up from her hips, past her waist and rested them against her sides, his thumbs just under the swell of her breasts.

"No, you didn't crush me", he replied then asked, "Are you hurt?".

"Ah….no…..I'm good", she answered.

They looked at one another for another moment before Ellie cleared her throat and moved off of him, brushing herself down for effect and to ease the tension.

"Would you like me to get that switch for you?", Ronon said and she nodded gratefully as some of the heat began to leave her cheeks and Ronon smiled to himself as he told her to be more careful and then left her to her work.

**OOoOO**

Lyssa had just stepped from the shower and was combing through her wet hair in front of the mirror when her eyes caught sight of the necklace that was dangling around her neck.

She had of course seen it before but had never taken the time to examine it or the two rings that dangled from it.

She unclasped it and studied the rings closely.

One was a plane gold band, probably a wedding ring and the other had an Emerald stone, it was delicate and pretty and she wondered why she had them on a necklace and didn't wear them.

She slipped them one to her wedding finger, surprised when they both fit perfectly.

She had heard the rumour flying around that Colonel Sheppard had found out he was married, as had Shorty and she now wondered whether she was too.

Frowning she pulled the rings from her finger and put them back onto the chain. She would leave them as they were for now…..'no reason to tempt fate' she thought as she fastened the clasp against the back of her neck.

**OoOoo**

Ellie, upon returning to her room, decided to have one last go at trying to find out something about herself and so she proceeded to rummage through some more of the drawers in the room.

Her fingers closed over a small velvet box and she pulled it out and popped the lid, her eyes widening as she took in the three rings inside.

All three were made of white gold, two were matching wedding bands and one was obviously an engagement ring.

They were beautiful and she glanced at the door guiltily as she pulled the woman's rings from the padding inside and tried them on her ring finger.

They fit perfectly and Ellie held up her hand to examine them in the lamp light.

"Are you mine?", she pondered out loud before turning back to the box and plucking the mans one out to look at it.

"And if you are mine…..", she continued to talk to herself, "Who is the man who should be wearing this one?".

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

Date : 27.09.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 4 of ?

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

Lyssa was getting bored.

She had no particular job to do in the city at the moment and she, unlike Shorty and Rodney and some of the others, seemed to have no idea what she was 'supposed' to do.

At first she had been alright with this as it had given her a chance to explore and meet people but that she was familiar with the most frequented places of the city she was getting tetchy and one particular afternoon had managed to get herself involved in a heated debate in the mess hall with Lieutenant Franks with regard to how men were much better fighters than women.

They both stood up at the same time and Lyssa squared up to Franks' chest as she said,

"You want to put your money where your mouth is?".

"I know where I'd like to put my mouth", Franks retorted and Lyssa went to say something back but Sheppard who had approached them from behind said,

"That's enough Lieutenant", his tone holding a warning which Franks immediately took note of.

"Sorry Sir", he said and Sheppard shook his head.

"It's not me you need apologise to".

Franks looked at Lyssa but she was glaring at Sheppard.

"I can handle this by myself", she told him and Sheppard raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?", she challenged, "You don't think I can handle myself either?"

"Now I didn't say…….", Sheppard began but never got the chance to finish as he found himself flat on his back staring up at the mess hall ceiling.

Franks tried to bite back the snigger but didn't quite manage it and for his efforts he also found himself on the floor, his C/O glaring at him from by his side.

They both watched Lyssa's shapely ass as she walked away brushing her hands in a satisfied manner and Franks shook his head as he sighed appreciatively.

"You just…….behave yourself Lieutenant and stay away from her", Sheppard warned, not liking the fact that Franks was obviously attracted to Blondie.

"Yes Sir", Franks replied, biting back a smile as he acknowledged the telling off.

**OOoOO**

Ellie was making her way to the infirmary to deliver some data she had managed to retrieve for Doctor Beckett when she saw Major Lorne up ahead in the hallway talking to a blonde nurse.

Her steps faltered and she paused as she saw the nurse laugh and then Lorne moved closer to her and moved his hands into her hair.

Ellie's eyes widened as a jolt of jealousy went through her.

She continued to watch as Lorne turned the nurse around and then continued to put his hands through the golden strands of her shoulder length hair.

They were laughing and Ellie grimaced as she realised she shouldn't really care what the Major got up to.

She turned to leave, thinking she could return to the infirmary later, but she collided with a solid chest and she yelped in pain as a large, booted foot crushed one of her small, sandal-clad feet.

She dropped the papers she'd been holding as Major Reece immediately knelt down before her, grasping her ankle in his large warm hands.

"I am so sorry, I didn't see you there", he said and Ellie rested one of her hands on his shoulder as her foot throbbed painfully and she fought to keep her balance.

"That's okay", she gasped, not realising that Major Lorne and the nurse had turned to watch upon hearing her cry out.

Reece undid the strap on her sandal and removed it whilst he assessed her foot and ankle and Ellie felt herself blush as he ran a hand up her calf, toward the hem of her dress.

"Does it hurt anywhere other than your foot?", he asked, his blue eyes looking up at her and Ellie shook her head, unable to reply as he moved his hand a little higher and lightly caressed her thigh.

Suddenly Reece stood, his hand going to Ellie's elbow to keep her steady as Lorne said,

"Is there a problem here Major?".

"No Sir……..well……..I crushed Shorty's foot….but apart from that……..", Reece replied and Lorne looked to Ellie who avoided his gaze as she tried to put some of her weight on her foot.

"Ooh", she said softly and both men went to help her at the same time.

"That's okay Sir", Reece said, "I'll take her in to see Beckett. This is my fault after all" and before Lorne could object, Reece scooped Ellie up into his arms and walked away with her leaving Lorne seething after them.

He stalked away slamming doors shut as he went, angry at himself for feeling so annoyed that another man had his hands on Shorty.

'Hell, for all I know Reece may actually be her husband', he thought to himself as he put as much distance between himself and the infirmary as was possible.

**OOoOO**

Beckett came over to them as Reece put Ellie down upon an infirmary bed.

"Now I thought I warned you people not to get sick……", Beckett said and Ellie grinned at him as he looked at her and Reece quite seriously.

"I'm not sick, Major Reece stood on my foot and its now quite painful", she said and Beckett seemed to visibly relax.

"Oh….is that all…..well I suppose I could try to take a look at that", he offered and Reece and Ellie exchanged as glance as Beckett rubbed his hands together to warm them…………

After Beckett had carried out his 'examination' of her foot and ankle he advised her that he didn't think there was any real damage done and he just told her to rest for half an hour or so before she tried to put any pressure on it again.

Major Reece left the infirmary after apologising a hundred times and Ellie lay back and closed her eyes as she tried to relax.

She was half asleep when, unbidden, the image of her in bed pulling at the soldiers' tags popped up behind her eye lids again and she gasped and sat up in shock as this time she actually saw the man's face.

It was Major Lorne.

"Are you alright my dear?", Beckett asked as he came over and she nodded and lay back down.

"I must have dozed off…..I was dreaming", she tried to explain her action away and it seemed to work as Beckett nodded and moved away from the bed.

Ellie sighed and closed her eyes again trying to conjure the image back up again but to no avail.

'What did it mean though?', she wondered. 'Had she actually been to bed with the Major or was it harmless fantasizing?' Without knowing the true state of her mind she couldn't answer herself and she sighed again in frustration.

Each time she saw Major Lorne after that day though things always seemed inexplicably tense between them and they seemed to go out of their way not to talk to one another.

Sheppard had made another 'announcement' about wanting to form teams of four so that they could maybe try to travel outside of the city to do some exploring and Ellie wanted to put herself forward.

She'd heard that Sheppard had already chosen his team, it consisting of Lyssa, Rodney and Teyla and Reece already had his team in place so she had no option but to go and see if Lorne had made his selection yet.

She hovered in the doorway of the room he was using as an office and watched as he stood to one side of his desk, reading through some papers he was holding.

He was completely engrossed and didn't notice her at first and her stomach did a flip flop as she thought about how cute he looked.

When he eventually looked up and saw her, she had all but forgotten why she'd come to see him as she'd been so lost in her thoughts about him and how he had been the man in her flashback.

Lorne looked up and saw Ellie stood in his doorway and the expression she was wearing as she gazed at him made him wonder what on earth she was thinking to produce such a look.

"Hi", he said breaking the spell and Ellie blinked at him as he moved back behind his desk but didn't sit down.

"Hi", she replied stepping just inside the room as she added,

"Could I speak to you……about your team?".

"Sure, come in, close the door", he replied and Ellie did so and moved a little closer to the desk.

When he looked at her expectantly Ellie coloured up a little and cleared her throat.

"I was just wondering if maybe you'd consider me for your team. Colonel Sheppard has taken on Rodney and I just thought maybe you might find me useful?", she said hopefully and Lorne nodded as though seriously thinking about her request.

"I have had quite a few people asking to be on the team so can I get back to you?", he said eventually and Ellie nodded, trying not to appear too disappointed.

They looked at one another and as the same tension began to settle between them again Lorne asked,

"So how is your foot now? You and Major Reece seemed to be getting on quite well the other day, despite him nearly crippling you".

"My foot is fine, thank you and Major Reece seems like a nice guy but……..", she trailed off and Lorne looked at her closely.

"But what?", he asked and she shook her head.

"Nothing".

Lorne glanced back down at the papers he'd been reading, watching out of the corner of his eye as Ellie moved a little closer, resting her hip against the corner of his desk.

"We…..ah….we haven't spoken much lately", she said, wondering why she hadn't left already. Lorne had given her his response about being on his team so she should just go and let him get on with his work.

But she found she couldn't.

"No……..we've both been kinda busy I guess", Lorne replied, flicking through the papers as he tried to concentrate but she was very distracting.

"So………", Ellie began, knowing she really shouldn't say what she was about to but again found she couldn't stop herself.

"You seem to be getting on well with that blonde nurse".

"Really?", Lorne answered, trying to pretend to still be interested in what he was reading.

"Mmmm. I saw you the other day too, with your hands all tangled in her hair", Ellie said.

"You're very observant", Lorne said, his lips twitching as he feigned disinterest in her as he took in the knowledge that she sounded jealous.

"Did she have something stuck……in her hair?", Ellie pressed and Lorne turned and looked at her.

He threw the papers onto his chair and stepped closer to her.

"Yes", her replied, his face close to hers.

Ellie's breath caught as he pushed one of his hands into her soft brunette curls.

"It was all knotted up at the back….just here, ", he told her, his fingers caressing the base of her skull and Ellie's eyes fluttered closed involuntarily at his touch.

Lorne watched as her lips parted and at first he fought against the urge to kiss her.

He thought about Sheppard's warning to not get involved with people but hell, he couldn't get this woman out of his mind.

He touched his free hand to her face, smiling as she emitted a soft sigh.

He covered her mouth with his before he could change his mind, pressing his body against hers and Ellie's hands went to his waist to steady herself as her head swam.

Eventually, Lorne tore his mouth from hers and pressed kisses along her jaw line and down one side of her neck and Ellie was arching against him as she heard him mutter,

"We really shouldn't do this….".

She opened her eyes and Lorne felt her body stiffen and he lifted his head to look at her.

"I……", he went to say something but a knock on his door sent them flying apart and they looked at one another guiltily as the knock came again a few seconds later.

Lorne cleared his throat and dragged his gaze away from hers as he moved to open the door………

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

-1Date : 29.09.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 5 of ?

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

Lorne opened the door to find Major Reece looking at him.

"Sir, have you seen Shorty?", he asked and Lorne immediately felt his hackles rise at the fact that this man, who could well be Ellie's husband, was looking for her.

"What do you want her for?", he asked curtly and Ellie's eyes widened from behind the door at his bluntness.

"Dr McKay is looking for her……he needs her help", Reece replied, eyeing Lorne strangely as he wondered what was with the Major's attitude.

"Right…..uh, yeah….she's here", he said opening the door a little wider and Reece saw Ellie come into view.

As she moved past him, Lorne ached to reach out and touch her but he didn't.

"You'll let me know about the team then?", Ellie asked and Lorne nodded.

"Sure….", he replied, noting that she avoided his gaze and he wondered if she regretted the kiss.

When she and Reece had gone, he shut his door and leant against it, blowing out a huge ragged breath.

**OOoOO**

The next day Sheppard approached Lorne.

"Hey, you made your team selection yet?", he asked and Lorne folded his arms.

"I need one more", he replied.

"Who've you got so far?", Sheppard queried and Lorne replied,

"Ronon and Franks".

"Did Shorty not apply? You should get her on side, McKay is proving to be quite useful", Sheppard said and Lorne nodded.

He had already wanted Ellie for his team before she had come to him yesterday but after their 'kiss' he wasn't so sure if it was a good idea.

"Well I'd like our teams to try getting out to the mainland tomorrow so try and make a decision today okay", Sheppard said and Lorne sighed.

"Yes Sir".

**OOoOO**

An hour or so later Lorne bit the bullet and found himself knocking on the door of the room Ellie was using.

She opened it and as soon as their eyes met, the same unmistakeable tension settled between them.

"Hi", they both said at the same time, then laughed nervously.

"About the team……", Lorne began and Ellie looked away, her face falling.

"That's okay…..I understand", she said quickly and Lorne frowned.

"No……you don't understand…..I want you on the team", he said and Ellie's eyes shot back up to his.

"Really?", she asked and he couldn't help but smile.

"Really", he replied.

"Would you……would you like to come in?", Ellie asked and Lorne glanced over her shoulder and in to the room.

He could see the big double bed in the centre and his heart beat quickened a little as he remembered their kiss.

"Ah…….no, no thanks. I need to get back to my office. Colonel Sheppard wants mine and his teams to go over to the mainland tomorrow so you'd better get ready", he said and Ellie nodded, a little disappointed that he hadn't wanted to come in and that he hadn't mentioned their kiss.

She wondered if she should.

But, before she had a chance to, Lorne was moving away and she had no option but to just let him go.

**OOoOO**

The next day the two teams sat together quietly in one of the small ships that Lorne and Sheppard had found the other day whilst Sheppard tried to negotiate his way out of the docking area and away from the city.

At one point the ship lurched a little and Lyssa fell against Ronon who grinned at her broadly and she moved away quickly.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?", Rodney piped up sounding decidedly nervous and Sheppard threw him a dirty look over his shoulder.

Ellie was thankful that Lorne was up front with Sheppard and she sat chatting happily to the woman she knew as Serena.

"So…..how are you finding things?", Teyla asked and Ellie shrugged.

"It's all so weird. I just wish we all knew who we were….and who we belong with", she said, risking a glance at Lorne and Teyla regarded her but said nothing.

After a few minutes, Sheppard set the ship down on the mainland and they all got out, glancing around at the devastation before them.

"What the hell happened here?", Sheppard said to no-one in particular as they began to walk closer to the ransacked looking village.

After they managed to calm a few of the more civilized looking members of the village down enough to talk to them, they established that when the memory loss had occurred, half the village men had turned nasty, wrecking homes, stealing things, attacking women…….

They were in serious need of some order and normality and Sheppard had every intention of restoring that to this village.

"Okay, split up into two's, military and non-military please….just to be on the safe side", he instructed then turned to Lyssa,

"Blondie…you're with me".

Ronon threw Sheppard a disgruntled look before turning to Ellie only to find she was being approached by Lorne and Franks had already teamed up with Teyla.

"Looks like it's me and you", Rodney said, lap top in hand as he looked up at Ronon expectantly.

"Great", Ronon replied frostily, stalking away, forcing Rodney to jog to keep up.

They went around as many villagers as they could, explaining what had happened and that they were currently trying to find a solution to the problem.

Sheppard was having a conversation with a woman when Lyssa thought she saw a little girl disappearing into some trees.

She glanced at Sheppard and not wanting to interrupt him, she moved away and followed in the direction the child had gone.

She quickly found herself surrounded by two burly village men, both of who were leering at her.

"Can I help you two guys?", Lyssa asked calmly, trying to weigh them up as she watched them both carefully.

"Oh, I'd say so", one of the men replied, his eyes raking over Lyssa's body and she felt repulsed even though the man hadn't touched her.

As they closed in on her she reached for the knife attached to her leg and they laughed as though a bit of sport was just what they were after.

They both ran at her at the same time and Lyssa fought well, managing to bring one down whilst keeping the other at bay but it wasn't long before one of them managed to grab her wrist and he twisted it causing Lyssa to cry out in pain as the knife dropped from her fingers.

They got her onto the floor and were laughing when a volley of bullets landed in the ground just before them and the men shot up and away from Lyssa as Sheppard approached, the look on his face telling them he was not happy.

Lyssa got up off the floor and retrieved her knife before joining Sheppard.

"You alright?", he asked, not taking his eyes from the two men and Lyssa nodded.

The shots brought the others running over and Lorne said,

"What's going on Sir?"

"These two attacked Blondie", Sheppard said. He was about to add that they should get a security watch set up when they heard a scream in the distance and they all turned in the direction it came from.

"Shorty…..", Lorne said, glancing around and noticing that she wasn't there.

They all ran toward the opposite trees and it wasn't long before they saw Ellie, pressed up against a tree by another overly amorous villager. He had his hands at her hips and was trying to kiss her neck and she was shoving at his chest with all her might to try and shift him but it wasn't really working.

Ronon aimed his blaster and shot the tree trunk, just above their heads as they all ran closer.

The villager jumped back in fright and Ellie scrambled away and toward Lorne who caught her around the waist as she barrelled into him.

"What the hell is wrong with these people…..it's like medieval times, raping and pillaging and…….stuff…..", Rodney said and Sheppard looked around in despair.

"Let's get back to the ship and contact the city…we need to get some marines down here and fast", he said.

Once a couple of security teams had been established in the village and the men who had attacked Lyssa and Ellie had been caught and locked up, the two teams got back into the ship and headed back to the city.

As they left the docking bay, Lorne caught up to Ellie.

"Can I see you in my office?", he said and she nodded, frowning as Lorne moved away and Rodney joined her.

"You must be in trouble", he commented and Ellie glared at him in response.

She followed Lorne into his office and he closed the door before turning to face her.

"Are you okay?", he asked and she nodded.

"Why did you wander off? You were supposed to stick by my side, that was the reason we paired up the way we did", Lorne said a tinge of anger in his tone and she folded her arms defensively.

"I didn't wander off…….", she began but Lorne cut her off.

"Well you certainly didn't stay with me", he told her and Ellie put her hands on her hips as her own temper flared.

"For your information…Major….I didn't follow you because as you all ran off, he grabbed me from behind and if you'd bothered yourself to check, you would have seen this for yourself", she informed him hotly and Lorne had the good grace to colour up.

"I'm sorry", he said and Ellie let her hands fall to her sides as she felt her own anger dissipate.

"That's alright…no harm done", she said, surprised when Lorne suddenly stepped forward and cupped her face in his hands.

"When I saw him, touching you…..", Lorne said, his eyes locking with hers seconds before his mouth descended upon hers and Ellie melted against him, her hands going around his back and she flattened her palms against the muscles there.

Just as he was about to back her toward the desk a knock came on the door and Lorne tore his mouth from Ellie's and cursed.

"That damn door", he muttered and Ellie smiled.

"Maybe someone is trying to tell us something", she said wryly and Lorne glanced at her before moving to the door.

**OOoOO**

Lyssa caught up to Sheppard as he headed toward his room and she snagged his arm, forcing him to stop.

"I really didn't need your help out there you know. I could have handled it", she said and Sheppard raised an eyebrow at her.

"Really?", he asked, his tone telling her he didn't believe her and Lyssa glared at him.

"Yeah….really", she replied, "But….thanks all the same…..they were two unsavoury characters".

Sheppard was a little taken aback by her thanks and he grinned at her.

"Maybe we should train sometime….and you can show me what you're made of", he said and she had to smile at his cheeky grin.

"Maybe", she said going to move away but Sheppard said,

"How about later?".

Lyssa turned back and looked at him over her shoulder.

"I'll think about it", she said before walking away and Sheppard was once again forced to watch her gorgeous retreating ass and he groaned as he turned away to head to his own room.

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

Date : 01.10.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 6 of ?

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

By the end of the second week, Rodney and Ellie had managed to get a fair few of the cities' systems up and running and everyone in general seemed a lot calmer about the situation they found themselves in.

This was probably due to the fact that they could do nothing more than wait and had been forced to just come to terms with the fact that they may never get their memories back.

Ellie and Lorne were still dancing around one another and hadn't had any more encounters following their second kiss in Lorne's office when a knock had come to the door and they'd discovered once again that it was Major Reece looking for Ellie.

This had all but convinced Lorne that Reece was Ellie's husband and he had forced himself to keep her at arms length since then.

Sheppard and Lyssa had still not had their sparring session, despite him asking her several times and her turning him down in favour of Ronon, which did not sit well with Sheppard at all.

One afternoon, Sheppard, Reece and Lorne called a meeting of their three teams to discuss progress reports. They invited Weir along because she had proven herself to be a great help in the last fortnight, giving pep talks and boosting moral and they thought they could maybe have her continue doing something like that around the city, just to give people a bit more hope……for now at least.

As the meeting went on, Ellie found her eyes wandering over to where Lorne was sitting and her stomach fluttered when he glanced at her then looked quickly away.

She didn't know why she was so drawn to him but she couldn't stop thinking about him.

She knew he was avoiding her because he thought that Reece could be her husband but Ellie didn't think that was right.

She couldn't envisage herself being married to Reece, whereas Lorne on the other hand………

Suddenly she realised that everyone was staring at her and she blushed and cleared her throat.

"I….I'm sorry", she stuttered, "What was the question?".

Lorne's lips twitched as he saw her colour up. He had seen her looking at him and he could tell that she had been daydreaming about something or other and the thought that it might have been about him made his chest feel tight and he felt his body react, making him shift in his seat.

Rodney tutted in disgust and said,

"I wanted you to explain about the tracking device system we found and how it might be possible to get peoples' names at least by locking on to their location in the city…but it doesn't matter….I'll do it".

Ellie nodded and shrank down in her seat, embarrassed that she had let herself look so stupid and in front of Lorne too.

When the meeting was over she tried to catch up to him to apologise but he seemed to be having an in depth discussion with Sheppard so she decided to leave it for now and speak to him later.

**OOoOO**

That evening Sheppard was waiting for Teyla in one of the training rooms when Lyssa appeared in the doorway.

"Hi", she said casually and Sheppard raised his eyebrows at her.

"Hey", he replied wondering what she was doing here.

"Serena said to tell you she can't make it", Lyssa said and Sheppard's face fell.

He had been looking forward to a good workout.

Lyssa saw the disappointment on the Colonel's face and her resolve not to spar with him crumbled.

"I guess I could step in…….if you'd like?", she said and Sheppard looked at her.

"Only if you want to".

"I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to Colonel", she replied, reaching for some sticks and Sheppard readied himself as she came to stand before him.

Without knowing how it happened, Sheppard suddenly found himself flat on his back, looking up at a smiling Lyssa.

"Jeez…….damn it. What the hell just happened?", he said, getting up and Lyssa laughed.

"I guess you weren't ready", she teased and Sheppard glared at her.

"No….but I am now", he grumbled as he advanced on her.

**OoOoO**

Ellie knocked on Lorne's office door and stood nervously as she waited for him to answer it.

She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress and hoped she looked nice.

She had just spent an hour trying on different clothes from the wardrobe in her room and doing her hair.

Why, she had no idea as she knew that Lorne probably wouldn't even notice now that he seemed determined to keep her at arms length.

Lorne opened the door and his eyes widened as he saw Ellie stood there looking all petite and gorgeous and he had to turn away abruptly as he felt his body harden.

"What is it Shorty? I'm a little busy right now", he said a little more harshly than he'd intended and Ellie gulped as she followed him inside and closed the door.

"I ah, I just wanted to apologise for earlier in the meeting……..my mind was elsewhere and I didn't intend on letting the team down….I just……..", she stopped as Lorne turned to face her.

"Just don't let it happen again", he said abruptly and she looked at him, obviously shocked at his cool manner.

"I…..I won't", she replied and Lorne was tempted to tell her that he didn't give a rats ass about the fact that she hadn't been listening to McKay and that she hadn't let the team down at all……but something held him back.

They stared at one another for a moment and Ellie couldn't help the hurt look that crept into her eyes and she turned and headed for the door.

"I'll just go…….I'll see you……..", she murmured.

She managed to open the door a fraction before Lorne moved and stepped right up behind her and reaching above her head, slammed it shut again.

Ellie felt his heat at her back, penetrating through the thin material of her dress and she closed her eyes as she felt him rest his forehead against the back of her head.

"I'm sorry", he whispered, his mouth at her ear, his lips teasing the soft lobe and Ellie's mouth opened in a silent response as his touch left her speechless.

After a moment she forced herself to turn and face him, flattening her back against the door, his arm still to the side of her head.

She looked up into his eyes and they were stood so close that Lorne could feel Ellie trembling.

They both knew that the kiss was coming long before it happened but neither were prepared for the wealth of feelings that it ignited when their lips finally met.

They clung to one another, Lorne lifting Ellie slightly off the floor as he wrapped his arms around her waist and he realised with some clarity that he couldn't stay away from her a moment longer

Ellie trailed her fingers along Lorne's shoulders and neck and then delved them into his short hair as their kiss deepened.

Lorne groaned as he pressed her against the door, his arousal becoming obvious to Ellie who felt lightening streaks of heat race to the pit of her stomach in response.

She moaned into Lorne's mouth as she felt him move one hand down to cup one side of her bottom and he kneaded the flesh gently.

Lorne pulled his mouth from hers long enough to say,

"I don't care who knocks at this damn door….this time we don't stop", and he then crushed his mouth down over hers again.

Ellie didn't even try to reply, merely pressed her fingers more firmly against his head to stop him if he were to attempt to even try to move away from her.

Lorne turned with her, one arm still wrapped around her waist and moved her until he pressed her up against his desk.

As he kissed her again he reached behind her and blindly made an arc with his arm, swiping everything he came into contact with off of the desk top and onto the floor.

He lifted her so that her bottom was resting on the edge of the desk and groaned when she parted her thighs and he moved in between them.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you", Ellie told him breathlessly as she pushed her hands up under his T-shirt and Lorne slid his hands up underneath her dress, caressing her thighs as he pushed the material up to her hips.

"I shouldn't want you like this………your husband…….", he said but Ellie placed her fingers over his lips to stop any more talk about her mystery other-half and they looked deeply into one another's eyes as they both asked a silent question.

Did they really want to do this?

Ellie cupped Lorne's face in her hands and tugged his head down to hers for another kiss, giving him her answer.

Now all she needed was his.

She got it seconds later when his hands moved from her thighs, up past her hips and skimmed her abdomen before coming to rest at her breasts and Ellie moaned and arched as his thumbs teased her nipples through the material.

Lorne trailed hot damp kisses down her throat as he undid the zip at the back of her dress, his mouth moving across the soft skin of her shoulders and chest as he pushed the material down and it bunched around her waist.

Ellie pulled her arms free and tugged at his T-shirt and he took a second to drag it over his head and throw it to the floor before reaching behind her to unclasp her lacy bra.

As her breasts spilled forward he cupped them in his palms and Ellie moaned loudly as heat rushed to her core and she slid her legs up his combat clad thighs in an effort to get closer to him.

It briefly crossed both of their minds that his office door wasn't even locked and anyone could just walk in and catch them but even that thought didn't seem sufficient enough to put them off and they continued to kiss hungrily, their hands touching and caressing one another.

Lorne pushed her further back on the desk and Ellie went willingly, reaching for the buttons on his combats and it was his turn to moan as she freed his straining erection from its confines and her hand curled around his length.

Lorne teased her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers and Ellie squirmed excitedly and let go of his erection to reach her arms around his back, trying to pull him more fully on top of her.

"Lorne…..please…….I need to feel…….", she trailed off as she felt Lorne's fingers running along the edge of her panties and she jerked her hips as she felt him dip one finger experimentally inside of her.

"Ohh……", she cried and Lorne rubbed his cheek against hers, his mouth to her ear as he said huskily,

"Is this what you need?".

The sexy tone of his voice thrilled Ellie but the answer to his question was,

"No……..I need to feel you…….every hardened inch of you".

Lorne pulled back, his eyes darkening at her provocative words and she felt him move her panties to one side before both of his hands slid down the back of her thighs slightly and he tugged her closer against him.

"I want you…….", he said and Ellie smiled at him, opening her legs wider to allow him the access he needed.

She tried to keep eye contact with him but the feel of him pushing his hard length into her was her undoing and her head fell back, her long hair skimming the desk top behind her as she moaned in wild abandon and Lorne moved his hands to cup her bottom, anchoring her to him as he pushed fully into her with one fluid thrust.

"Oh God that feels good", he groaned and Ellie gasped as he pulled out of her and then slid back in.

She put her arms around his neck as he leaned more over her, moving his hips forwards and backwards in a gentle rhythm that was driving them both crazy.

"Please…", Ellie begged, her mouth at his ear and Lorne quickened his thrusts, gritting his teeth as he felt her inner muscles tighten along his shaft and he fought to stay in control of his own pleasure as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Suddenly Ellie moved her hands and gripped his shoulders as she climaxed and she moaned loudly, her skin flushing and Lorne teased a nipple with his tongue which only seemed to prolong her pleasure.

He eventually felt her relax beneath him and he then strove for his own release and in doing so inadvertently made Ellie come again and he was surprised at how tightly her hands could grip seeing as she was such a petite woman.

But her actions as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck told him how much she was enjoying what he was doing to her and that only turned him on more and it wasn't long before he felt the delicious coiling sensation in his groin and he moaned against her mouth as his body spilled into hers.

They stayed in the same position breathing heavily and pressing kisses to one another's mouths and necks as their senses slowly returned to them.

"Are you alright?", Lorne asked quietly as he eased some of his weight onto his elbows and Ellie smiled at him as she relinquished her death-grip on his neck.

She nodded and her hands played at his chest and throat as she came over all shy.

'A little late for shyness', she scolded herself as she felt her face flush warmly again.

Lorne smiled down at her, thinking how passionately she had given herself to him and he felt a rush of something for her that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"You are going to get me into so much trouble", he teased, his lips nipping at the corners of her mouth and Ellie replied,

"Why?", as she tried to capture his mouth with hers but he evaded her to answer,

"Well……I don't think I'm supposed to make love to a member of my team on my office desk……it's not really following protocol….".

His words sank in and Ellie's face clouded over.

"I don't think you were supposed to make love to me at all", she said and Lorne looked down at her, his heart banging in his chest.

"You regret this don't you?", he said, going to move away from her but Ellie caught his face in her hands, her thighs tightening against his hips to stop him and she blushed as she replied,

"No! No….I don't regret this at all. I just……I just wondered……", she trailed off feeling shy and embarrassed and Lorne threaded a hand into her hair as he said,

"What? What did you wonder?".

"I just wondered if this once would be enough for you because for me………I…..I really don't think it is……..".

Lorne smiled and kissed her deeply, turning her insides to mush once more as he murmured in between kisses,

"Once isn't enough for me either……"

He was just about to suggest they move to her room when a knock came on the door and he dropped his head down to Ellie's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"I do not believe it………."

**OoOoO**

Sheppard and Lyssa's sparring session was not going how Lyssa had planned.

Sheppard was somehow whooping her ass and she was not happy. She had been convinced that she could beat him as she had been secretly watching him training with Teyla over the last few days and she thought she'd had it down how he fought.

Obviously not.

As she found herself flat on her back underneath him for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes she decided enough was enough.

She was about to tell Sheppard that the session was over when she saw him staring down at her with a funny expression upon his face.

"What's wrong?", she asked and he blinked at her.

"There's something familiar about you", he replied and Lyssa rolled her eyes and tried to get up.

"Is that the best line you can come up with?", she asked but frowned when Sheppard held her down.

"I'm serious…..don't move……I think I'm having a flashback or something", he told her and Lyssa stayed still as she watched the play of emotions on his face.

Suddenly he looked at her, surprise in his eyes as he said,

"You're my wife…………."

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

Date : 01.10.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 7 of ?

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis and SG-1, unfortunately, have nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

"Just give me a minute", Lorne called out as the knock sounded on the door for a second time.

He gently pulled his body from Ellie's and they began to scramble around, quickly trying to re-dress and then get all the things off the floor that Lorne had swiped from his desk so that he could lie Ellie upon it.

When everything appeared normal, Lorne flung the door open and was disconcerted to find Major Reece staring at him once more.

"Yes…..she's here", Lorne said before Reece could ask if he'd seen Shorty again.

Ellie moved to the doorway by Lorne's side only to hear Reece say,

"Actually Sir I was just coming to tell you that some of the guys are planning a basketball game in the morning and that if you're interested just show up at 7AM in Training Room 4.

Ellie shrank back into the room as Lorne cleared his throat and replied,

"Right….great….I'll be there".

"See you in the morning then", Reece replied grinning at Lorne who shut the door as Reece left.

"Do you think he suspected anything?", Ellie asked and Lorne ran a hand through his short hair and sighed.

"I don't know…..maybe".

They looked at one another and it was clear in their expressions that neither wanted to stop what they'd started but that it wasn't going to be easy to carry on.

"You go to your room……I'll come by in a little while", Lorne said, dropping a kiss onto her mouth and Ellie couldn't resist pressing herself against him before moving to the door.

"See you soon", she said as she left and Lorne groaned inwardly.

"You can count on it", he murmured.

**OoOoO**

"I'm your wife!?", Lyssa repeated Sheppard's statement incredulously. "You're joking right?".

Sheppard looked down at her for a moment before moving off of her and sitting up.

"Of course I'm joking", he replied.

Lyssa sat up by his side and looked at him.

"That was not funny", she said and he shrugged.

"So what was your flashback about then?", she asked and he sighed.

"Well…..it did have you in it……..we were in a meadow somewhere….", he trailed off as Lyssa stood.

"Do I need to know this?", she asked and he followed her up off the mats.

"It was very nice", he said and she shook her head.

"Are you trying to tell me we had sex in a meadow?".

"I don't know…..we were just in a meadow……you're the one who mentioned sex….you must have a one-tracked mind", Sheppard said coyly and Lyssa glared at him.

"So you haven't had any flashbacks or anything?", Sheppard asked and Lyssa shook her head.

"No, but a few other people have mentioned having them. Dr McKay said something about you and a lemon……", she trailed off as Sheppard looked at her strangely and she shrugged and continued,

"Yeah I thought that was a bit bizarre too……then there was Shorty, she said she had one about dog tags….but me…..can't remember a thing".

"Well….you never know…something might come to you when you least expect it", Sheppard said and she nodded as they left the training room.

They parted company and she headed for the stairs that lead down to the gate room. She wanted to see if she could find Shorty before she headed for the shower.

She was just stood on the top step when she got the sensation of falling and she gripped the rail tightly even though she knew she wasn't.

She closed her eyes and she saw herself tumbling down some steps, voices crying out behind her.

"My baby!", she heard herself scream…….

Lyssa's eyes sprang open and she looked around dazedly.

"Oh my god……..did I lose a baby?", she murmured.

Just then Shorty began to head up the stairs toward her and she forced herself to look normal.

"Hey", Ellie said and Lyssa smiled.

"I was just coming to find you", she said and Ellie looked at her.

"Oh? Why?".

"I wanted to see if you fancied having a coffee later?", Lyssa asked, watching with interest as Ellie suddenly seemed to grow uncomfortable and fidgety.

"Oh….later? I ah, I can't later…..I have stuff to……um…see to".

"That's okay….no problem", Lyssa replied.

"How about breakfast? We could have breakfast together?", Ellie suggested knowing that Lorne would be at the basketball game.

"Yeah….that'd be good", Lyssa replied and Ellie relaxed.

"Great…..see you about seven then", she said heading off and Lyssa nodded, wondering what Shorty had seemed so flustered about at first, it was only coffee after all…….

**OOoOO**

The next morning Ellie awoke to find Lorne facing her, a huge grin on his face.

"Hi", he said.

"Morning", Ellie replied, a blush creeping into her cheeks as details of their night of lovemaking flooded her mind.

"What time is it?", she asked, trying to tug the sheet higher up her body but Lorne snagged it and reached for her.

"Six thirty", he replied pulling her on top of him and Ellie gasped as she felt his arousal pressing against her intimately.

"Shouldn't we be getting ready to leave?", she managed to say as desire hit her stomach as Lorne reached up and teased her nipples.

"We have plenty of time", Lorne told her and as Ellie lifted herself up and then slid down his length she had to admit that she didn't care if they had plenty of time or not…..she was right were she wanted to be and she was not leaving……..

**OoOoO**

Lyssa had just finished off her first cup of coffee and was about to go and get a second when she saw Ellie enter the mess hall and on spotting where Lyssa was sat raced over.

"Are you okay?", Lyssa asked taking in Ellie's flushed face and her hair looked all mussed and damp from her obviously recent shower.

"Yeah……I am so sorry I'm late…..I overslept", Ellie blurted and Lyssa smiled at her.

"It's fine….I had a coffee whilst I was waiting for you……shall we get some food?", she asked standing up and Ellie nodded and took a deep breath as she relaxed.

She was only ten minutes late and that was good considering Lorne had insisted upon joining her in the shower too.

They got some food and sat back at the table where Lyssa had originally been waiting.

They chatted about this and that before Lyssa confided in Ellie about the flashback that she'd had about being pregnant and falling down some stairs.

"Oh my god. Do you think that maybe you had a miscarriage then?", Ellie asked and Lyssa shrugged.

"I don't know……you'd think I'd know if I had a baby wandering around this place wouldn't you?", she said and Ellie paused mid-chew as she thought about the child's bedroom in the quarters she was using.

"The room I'm using…..it has a child's bedroom in it. I'm convinced that room is mine because all the clothes fit me perfectly and it just feels right…..but I don't remember having a baby either", she said and Lyssa looked at her thoughtfully.

"Do you think we'll ever get our memories back?", she asked and Ellie sighed.

"I don't know…….I'm kinda scared to find out what my life was like before……….".

"Why?", Lyssa asked and Ellie paused to think about what to say.

She had to be careful. She wanted to say that she would be devastated if she and Lorne had not been together previously but knew she daren't.

"Oh….I don't know…I'm just being soft I guess…..but what if we don't like our old lives?".

"Then we change them", Lyssa told her and Ellie smiled and held up her coffee cup.

"Here's to change", she said and Lyssa laughed and clunked her cup against Ellie's.

**OoOoO**

"Nice of you to join us!", Sheppard called out as Lorne entered the training room to find the basketball game had already begun.

"Sorry Sir…….I overslept", Lorne replied, joining in and catching the ball that Reece threw at him.

"You should sleep when you go to bed", Reece grinned at him and Lorne lost concentration and Sheppard cursed as Ronon knocked the ball from Lorne's grip and scored for the other side.

"Hey, I hope you haven't hooked up with one of the women from around this place…….you remember what I said about getting 'involved'?", Sheppard said and Lorne glared at Reece.

"I'm not involved with anyone", he told them and Sheppard managed to get the ball from Ronon and threw it over to Lorne.

"Well……just remember……all of you…..'involvement' is out of the question until further notice", he said and Lorne swallowed guiltily as the game continued and the subject moved thankfully on to other things.

Later that day Ellie bumped into Lorne along one of the corridors and she saw he looked as guilty as she felt.

They stood close but didn't touch and Ellie looked up into his eyes as she said,

"Last night and this morning was wonderful……"

"But it shouldn't have happened", Lorne finished for her and she nodded, her hands aching to touch him.

"Do you think we should stop?", she asked and Lorne regarded her seriously for a moment before glancing around them.

When he saw no-one was around he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her, moving her into the store cupboard behind them…………..

**OOoOO**

Rodney was in the gate room a few days later when suddenly the blonde woman whom he and Ellie had spoken to about three weeks ago appeared on the screen before him.

He let out a high pitched yelp and jumped backwards, covering his face with his lap top before peeping around it only to find the blonde was watching him with interest.

"Dr McKay….good to see you again. What's the status of the city? I'm on the Daedalus and should be with you tomorrow".

Rodney inched toward the console and lowered his laptop.

"Ah…I'm sorry…..you're on the what?", he asked cautiously and Sam glanced at Mitchell before replying,

"I take it the memory loss is still an ongoing problem?".

"Yes….yes……myself and Shorty are still having difficulty finding the cause of that", Rodney replied.

"Any security problems we should know about?", Mitchell asked appearing on the screen next to Sam and Rodney raised a hand to his head as he thought.

"Ah, not here in the city no…..but the mainland has had a few problems so Colonel Sheppard had some Marines move out there to keep order".

"Okay……well, you just sit tight and we'll be with you tomorrow and hopefully Colonel Carter here can sort out your memory troubles", Mitchell said and Rodney nodded, having no idea who the hell these people were but before he could ask them they disappeared from the screen once again.

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

Date : 02.10.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 8 of ?

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

Sheppard was sat at his desk but he couldn't concentrate on the security report he was supposed to be putting together for the arrival of their 'guests' tomorrow.

Every time he tried to write he would get a flashback about Blondie and they were always in one compromising position or another. But the one he'd just had, had left his mind reeling.

He had been stood in front of the big circle waiting when Blondie had appeared before him wearing a wedding dress and she was smiling at him.

"Damn….", he muttered, "She is my wife".

He jumped when Ronon said from the doorway,

"Who is?".

"Do you have to sneak up on people like that?", Sheppard asked and Ronon shrugged.

"I wasn't sneaking……and you didn't answer my question".

"I keep getting these flashback things", Sheppard said indicating to his head before continuing, "About me and…….Blondie".

"You're joking right?", Ronon said smiling and Sheppard looked hurt.

"No…..why?", he asked and Ronon pushed away from the door frame and moved inside the room.

"Blondie is one hot woman Sheppard…..what makes you think……", he trailed off as Sheppard stood.

"Oh and I suppose you think she'd go for someone like you?", he retaliated and Ronon grinned annoyingly.

They argued some more until a voice from the doorway stopped them.

"Enough!", Lyssa shouted and they both turned to stare at her.

"You're like children, the pair of you and for both of your information, I wouldn't touch either of you", and with that she turned and stalked away, disgusted that they were arguing about her.

"Now look what you've done", Sheppard said chasing after Lyssa and leaving Ronon in his office.

"Hey!", Sheppard called out but Lyssa didn't stop and he was forced to jog to catch up to her.

"I'm sorry about that", he said as he drew level with her but Lyssa wouldn't look at him, merely continued to walk.

"I had another flashback", Sheppard tried and this time she glanced at him briefly.

"Let me guess….we had sex again?", Lyssa asked wryly and Sheppard cringed before saying,

"Actually….we did get married after all".

Lyssa stopped walking abruptly and Sheppard walked past her and was forced to turn around and go back to her.

"Are you joking again?", she asked but he shook his head.

They stared at one another until Lyssa ran a hand through her short blonde hair and sighed deeply.

"But…..if we are married….wouldn't you think we'd have some kind of an inkling or something, I mean shouldn't we at least be attracted to one another?", she said and Sheppard folded his arms.

"You ah….you mean you don't find me attractive?", he asked, sounding hurt and Lyssa groaned inwardly, feeling awkward.

"You're okay….I guess", she replied offering him a smile which didn't seem to help and Sheppard looked away.

"Look……for all you know the flashbacks you're having may not be real either so I wouldn't worry about it just yet", she said and he nodded, feeling a little bereft with how she had reacted to his news.

He berated himself inwardly. What had he expected, that she would fall at his feet and suddenly slip back into the role of his wife?

"I should get back", he said and Lyssa nodded.

They parted company both feeling more than a little unsettled.

**OOoOO**

Lorne and Ellie collapsed side by side on the bed, breathing heavily from the exertions of their latest love making and it was a few minutes until Ellie sat up.

"I want to show you something", she said, dragging at the sheet as she stood and Lorne moved so that she could take it and wrap it around her body as she moved across the room.

"What is it?", Lorne asked as he sat up and watched her rummage in one of the drawers across from the bed.

"These", Ellie replied, her fingers finding the wedding ring box and she gripped it and pulled it from the drawer before padding back to the bed and sitting next to Lorne.

She handed him the box and he popped the lid and sat staring at the three rings.

"I think these are mine", she said pulling the smaller wedding band and engagement ring out and slipping them on to the appropriate finger.

"See, they fit perfectly", she said, showing him and Lorne nodded.

"You want me to try this one on?", he asked, not sure if he wanted to find out if the remaining wedding band fit him or not.

Ellie plucked it from the padding and said,

"You don't have to…….".

Lorne looked at her as he reached out and cupped her cheek.

"What if it doesn't fit?", he asked and Ellie rubbed her face against his palm and closed her eyes.

"I think, whatever happens, I couldn't be with anyone else but you from now on and so if it doesn't fit it doesn't really matter", she replied eventually and Lorne leaned forward and kissed her tenderly.

After a moment he said,

"You can't say that for certain. What if when our memories come back you realise just how much you love your husband……and what if I have a wife….or someone?", he said, his heart clenching at the hurt look on her face.

"Try on the ring", she said.

Eventually he held his hand out and she slid the ring onto his wedding finger and they both held their breath as she reached his knuckle.

Ellie laughed with relief as it slid over and into position with no trouble at all.

They looked at one another, both knowing that just because the rings fit, it did not mean they were married to one another but it gave them a little bit of hope and Lorne smiled as Ellie pushed him back into the mattress and moved over him.

"See…..you're mine Major Lorne…..and don't you forget it", she teased and he pulled the sheet from her body as he replied,

"As if I could…"

**OOoOO**

The next day as many people as was possible crammed themselves into the gate room to welcome the visitors from the ship called the Daedalus and as the people beamed down, Sheppard, Lorne, Reece and Franks moved forward to greet them.

"So…..none of you remember a thing?", Mitchell asked after the introductions were over, his eyes searching out Lyssa as Sheppard replied,

"Well…some of us have had flashback-type experiences but nothing solid to go off".

Mitchell nodded, losing concentration as he finally spotted Lyssa who was stood to one side with Ellie and Dr Weir.

Damn but she was still gorgeous.

Sam, noticing where Mitchell's eyes were, nudged him and said,

"Okay well, how about Dr Jackson, Teal'c and Lt. Colonel Mitchell here get through as many people as they can, giving out as many names and details as they can whilst Dr McKay and I try and get to work on the problem?"

"Sounds good", Sheppard replied and Sam smiled and moved over to McKay whilst Mitchell, Daniel and Teal'c moved to the briefing room to set up before the throng of people who wanted to know who they were began to filter through to see them.

Through the crowd, Ellie moved closer to Lorne.

"I guess this is it then……I can find out who I am", she said and he nodded and smiled encouragingly at her.

"I hope you like your name", he teased and she threw him a disgruntled look as she replied,

"I hope I like everything they tell me".

Lorne reached out and touched her arm as inconspicuously as possible.

"It'll be fine", he said and she sighed and hoped he was right.

She moved away and joined the queue behind Lyssa who smiled at her warmly.

"Hey", she said.

"Hi", Ellie replied nervously.

"I can't wait to find out my real name….I am so sick of being called Blondie", Lyssa said and Ellie nodded.

"I know what you mean".

Eventually their turns came and Lyssa went to the man called Mitchell and Ellie went to Daniel.

"It's good to see you", Mitchell said to Lyssa as she sat in the seat opposite him.

"It is?", she asked and he nodded.

"Oh yeah. You visited Earth a while back and we spent a little time together….it was fun", Mitchell replied and Lyssa's eyes widened as she looked at him.

"It was?", she asked and Mitchell nodded, realising he should probably stop teasing her and fill her in on who she was.

"Okay well……your name, up until about seven months ago was Lyssa Hunter", he began and she interrupted,

"What do you mean up until seven months ago?".

"If you'd let me finish", Mitchell said and she coloured up as he carried on, "About seven months ago you married Lt. Col. John Sheppard here on Atlantis so your name now is Lyssa Sheppard and you and Sheppard have a son called Conner".

When Lyssa just continued to stare at him, Mitchell leaned across the desk and said,

"Lyssa? Are you okay?".

"Ah…….yes……..", she replied but Mitchell frowned, unconvinced.

He decided to carry on.

"You're normally a member of Major Lorne's team as their tracker, along with Ellie", and he indicated over to where Ellie was sat with Daniel, "and Lieutenant Franks".

Lyssa nodded, still reeling from the news that she was indeed Sheppard's wife and that they had a son. A son……..so she hadn't lost the baby in the fall down the stairs after all.

"If you want to know anything else…..", Mitchell trailed off as Lyssa stood abruptly.

"No. Thank you…..that's enough for now", she said turning to leave and Mitchell nodded.

**OOO**

Ellie sat before the man called Daniel and smiled at him nervously.

"I know this won't mean anything to you right now…but it's good to see you", Daniel said and Ellie clasped her hands together to stop them shaking.

"We were friends?", she asked and Daniel nodded.

"Yes and we worked together back on Earth for a few years before you came here".

"I see", Ellie said and Daniel realised she must be eager for information.

"Right….your name", he began and Ellie sat forward in her seat.

"You were Dr Ellie Harrison before you married Ronon Dex……", Daniel trailed off as Ellie paled visibly and he rushed on quickly.

"You and Ronon have a daughter together, Hope, but you and Ronon aren't together any more and you married Major Lorne about seven or eight months ago, back on Earth……".

Ellie raised a hand to her mouth as information swamped her brain. She had what she wanted…the news that she and Lorne were married……but she had a daughter……with Ronon Dex!?

"Oh……wow", she said and Daniel smiled.

"It's a lot to take in huh?", he said and she nodded.

"You're also a member of Major Lorne's team as their Scientific Advisor and here on Atlantis you're Dr McKay's top assistant", Daniel said, "And if you want to know anything else, you know where I am", Daniel said and Ellie stood.

"Thanks", she replied as she moved away.

She looked for Lorne and saw him stood at the bottom of the gate room steps with Sheppard. He looked up, a worried expression upon his face that turned into joy as she grinned at him.

She raced down the steps toward him and Lorne moved to meet her at the bottom and heedless to who saw them, they wrapped their arms around one another and Lorne lifted her against him as he said,

"Mrs Lorne I presume?".

Ellie nodded, pressing her mouth against his and then she replied,

"My name is Ellie and we were married a while ago, back on Earth".

"That's great……Ellie…..I like it", Lorne said, relief flooding through him at the news. At least he now knew he'd been sleeping with his own wife and not treading on anyone's toes.

"There is one thing I have to tell you though…….", Ellie trailed off thinking of her daughter whom she needed to find as soon as possible.

"Let's go somewhere quieter", Lorne said, wrapping his arm around her waist as he lead her away.

At the top of the stairs Lyssa watched Sheppard as he watched Lorne and Ellie's antics with a bemused expression upon his handsome face.

She knew she should go and tell him that he'd been right and that they were husband and wife. But, how did she tell him that they had a son and why the hell did she feel no emotional attachment to either of them? Surely she should feel something?

The thought scared her and rather than deal with it now she headed off to find somewhere quiet to think.

End of Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9

Date : 05.10.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 9 of 10

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

"So, what exactly happened?", Sam asked of Rodney as she began a diagnostic check on the cities' mainframe computer.

"We're not certain", Rodney replied. "All we remember is waking up in various parts of the city and not knowing who we, or anyone else was".

Sam nodded and frowned.

"Okay well….lets see what we can figure out".

After Rodney had gotten her up to speed with what him and Ellie had discovered so far, which wasn't much in the cold light of day, he turned to Sam.

"So…..we knew each other?".

Sam's lips twitched and she said,

"Yes, we've worked together a few times".

Rodney's face fell.

"Work…..we just worked…..nothing else?", he asked and Sam smiled.

"Yes…..but not through lack of trying on your part….Dr Mckay", she replied, emphasizing his name.

Rodney nodded thinking 'She likes me, I can tell'.

When the diagnostic showed up an anomaly Sam said,

"Right, you see this……", and she showed Rodney the spike on the chart on the lap top screen she held.

Rodney nodded and she continued,

"I think this is where your problem occurred, now all we have to do is figure out what it was, why it happened and try to reverse it".

"Easy", Rodney told her confidently and Sam smiled again. This was going to be a long day.

**OOoOO**

Lyssa entered the mess hall and saw Ellie sat with Lorne and she approached them.

"Hey……Blo……", Ellie trailed off and Lyssa smiled as she said,

"Lyssa".

Ellie nodded, "Lyssa….nice…..I'm Ellie……Ellie Lorne actually", she replied glancing at Lorne who was grinning at her.

"I heard you two were married….that's nice", Lyssa replied as Lorne indicated she sit down with them.

Lyssa watched as Ellie intertwined her fingers with Lorne's and she frowned at how 'together' they looked for saying they'd only just found out they were husband and wife.

"Um….Ellie, can I talk to you alone?", she asked and Ellie nodded.

"Sure….Evan, would you give us a minute?".

"No problem", Lorne said standing then bent to drop a kiss onto Ellie's mouth.

"I'll see you later…….bye Lyssa", he said heading off and Ellie watched him go dreamily.

"So……..you two seem happy with the way things have turned out", Lyssa said and Ellie nodded and cleared her throat.

"Yeah….we are", she replied.

"You seem very close already", Lyssa commented thinking of her own situation with Sheppard and how different it was and she watched with interest as Ellie blushed.

Ellie tucked a stray curl behind her ear as she looked at Lyssa.

"Evan and I have been sleeping together for about a week and a half now", she admitted and Lyssa's eyes widened.

"You knew you were married?", she asked and Ellie shook her head.

"No…..we just, it's hard to explain……we just couldn't seem to stay away from one another".

"But what if he hadn't been your husband?", Lyssa said and Ellie sighed.

"I just knew he was the one for me. The flashback about the dog tags……that was Evan".

Lyssa dragged a hand through her hair.

That was not the answer she'd wanted to hear.

"I'm married to Sheppard…..and apparently we have a son", Lyssa confided and it was Ellie's turn to look surprised.

"Really? And how do you feel?", she asked.

"Truthfully, I don't know……and it's scaring me. How did you know that Major Lorne was the one for you when you knew absolutely nothing about each other? Why did you and he gravitate toward one another but Sheppard and I haven't? Do you think there's something wrong with our marriage and that's why we haven't gotten together?".

Ellie smiled at her warmly.

"You shouldn't worry about all that. When we get our memories back you'll probably feel so much different. You can't judge your relationship with Sheppard on mine and Evan's…..there's still so much we all don't know".

"I suppose you're right", Lyssa said.

"Have you spoken to Sheppard since you found out?", Ellie asked and Lyssa shook her head.

"So he doesn't know you're married?", Ellie said and Lyssa looked a little uncomfortable.

"Well…..he has been trying to tell me that he thought we were married but I didn't believe him. I just thought he was trying to hit on me", she replied and Ellie laughed.

"I should talk to him", Lyssa said and Ellie nodded.

"Yes…..you probably should".

**OoOoO**

Lyssa finally found Sheppard talking to Daniel in his office and the look he threw her as she stood in his doorway told her he already knew he'd been right all along.

Daniel cleared his throat as he saw the look that was exchanged between Sheppard and Lyssa and he said,

"Well, if you'll excuse me I'll go and see which Athosians Teal'c is scaring half to death", and then he left them alone.

After a few moments they both said,

"So…..", at the same time and Lyssa looked away feeling nervous.

This was her husband, the man she must have made love to over and over again and yet she felt no connection with him whatsoever.

Eventually she said,

"So…you were right and I was wrong not to believe you. I'm sorry".

Sheppard smiled at her and shrugged.

"That's okay….there's no real reason you should have believed me….a few flashbacks is hardly solid evidence", he told her and she smiled at his effort to make her feel better.

"Shorty….I mean Ellie, had flashbacks about Major Lorne and they turned out to be married…..they've been sleeping together for about a week and a half now", Lyssa informed him and Sheppard's eyes widened.

"That son of a bitch……..he told me he wasn't 'involved' with anyone….that sneaky little……", he trailed off as Lyssa interrupted him.

"My point was that Ellie trusted her flashbacks……I should have trusted yours….".

Sheppard forgot about Lorne and moved cautiously closer to Lyssa.

"Look….it's fine, really…….we have no memories…..so it worked out for Major Lorne and Short…….Ellie, but it cant be that way for everyone. I'm sure everything will right itself when we get our memories back", he said and she looked at him uncertainly.

"You're not annoyed with me?", she asked and he touched her face hesitantly, wondering if she'd pull away.

When she didn't he moved his face closer to hers.

"How could I be…..? We're not out normal selves and besides, Ronon is going to be so pissed that I have the hottest wife on Atlantis".

"Oh give me strength", Lyssa muttered and went to move away but Sheppard stopped her by kissing her in a way that made her bones melt and her heart flutter erratically.

When they broke apart, Sheppard grinned at her cheekily.

"Just so you know what you've been missing these last three weeks", he said as he darted out of the door before she could grab something off of his desk and throw it at him.

**OOoOO**

"How's it going?", Ellie asked as she knelt beside Rodney and Sam.

"Slowly", Sam said smiling as Rodney huffed.

"It's only going slowly because you won't let me help".

"Dr McKay….you don't really know what you're doing and I'd prefer it if you just observed for now", Sam said but he still looked offended and she rolled her eyes at Ellie who tried to cover a smile with her hand.

"I can see what you're both doing you know……I've got amnesia, I'm not blind", Rodney muttered grumpily and Sam shook her head before turning back to her lap top.

"Hey, look at this", she said, going to show Ellie but Rodney snatched the lap top from her.

"What? What is it?", he asked excitedly but Sam reached out and snatched the lap top out of his hands.

She angled it so that all three of them could see the screen.

"I think Atlantis has undergone a kind of automatic reset, wiping itself and everything inside it clean of all memories", she said and Rodney and Ellie glanced at one another.

"Can it be reversed?", they both asked at the same time and Sam regarded them.

"I'm not sure. I have an idea though", she said encouragingly and Rodney and Ellie leaned forward expectantly.

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

Date : 07.10.2007

Title : Loves' Moment of Truth

Author : ElaineDex

Chapter : 10 of 10

Rating : M

Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Sheppard

Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Lorne

Warnings : Romance/Angst/Some Strong Language.

Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Price of Freedom.

Feedback : Yes

Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Lorne, Major James Reece, Lt Franks and any OC's are mine. Lyssa Hunter-Sheppard belongs to Kazavid. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.

**Summary : Memories…….Who Needs Them? That's what Sheppard and Lorne's teams have to ask themselves when they lose theirs…..but is the damage permanent or can they go back to how things were before?**

Ellie and Rodney stared at Sam as she finished explaining her idea to them.

"What?", she asked, returning their stares.

"That's it?", Rodney asked. "A little system restore and it'll be business as usual?".

"In theory", Sam replied.

Ellie crossed her arms and sighed.

"Do you really think something so simple could work on such a huge network though?", she asked glancing at all the consoles and technology that surrounded them in the main power room.

"Ellie's right….just because a system restore can help fix your average lap top, it doesn't mean it'll work on something as huge as this city", Rodney said and Ellie glared at him.

"I didn't say it wouldn't work", she said but Sam touched her arm as she stood.

"We can only give it a go….what have you guys got to lose?", she asked and Rodney huffed as he and Ellie also stood.

"Oh nothing I suppose….just what few memories that we all made in the last few weeks".

Sam and Ellie exchanged a glance before Sam continued,

"I'll rig it up so that all one of you has to do is push a button. I think it would be better if the rest of SG-1 and I return to the Daedalus with Colonel Caldwell so that if the system restore works, we're not interfering in any way, I mean we weren't here when the wipe clean occurred so it'd better if we're not around when we try to reverse it".

"Do you think we should also all return to the places we woke up in…just in case?", Ellie asked and Sam nodded.

"Yeah….that'd be an idea…it may help", she replied.

"I'll go get Sheppard to make an announcement then…….but the Marines will have to return from the mainland too", Ellie said and Sam nodded.

"No problem…..there's just one thing", she said and Ellie and Rodney looked at her.

"What?", they asked simultaneously.

"One of you is going to have to be out of position because one of you is going to have to press the button to activate the restore", Sam told them and Rodney and Ellie looked at one another.

"Well I woke up just outside this room….so I could do it", Ellie offered but Rodney shook his head.

"No….I'll do it….if anything went wrong Major Lorne may kill me so……I'll do it", he said but Ellie argued,

"But I was the closest to this room, surely it wouldn't make too much difference if I'm inside of here instead of out in the corridor?".

She looked at Sam who shrugged.

"I couldn't be certain", she said and Rodney waved his hands about.

"Look, I've said I'll do it so I will", he said.

"Are you sure Rodney?", Sam asked and Rodney forced a wonky smile at her.

"Positive", he replied, never sounding so uncertain in all the time that she'd known him.

"I'll go and set things up with Sheppard", Ellie said leaving Sam and Rodney to get the system restore ready for activation.

**OOoOO**

Two hours later and everyone in Atlantis and on the mainland was stood in the exact place that they had woken up in three weeks ago.

Everyone but Rodney that is, who was stood, finger poised over the Enter key on the lap top that was hooked up to the cities' main frame.

SG-1 and Caldwell beamed back aboard the Daedalus and then they were ready to begin.

Lyssa glanced over at Sheppard with some apprehension but he sent her a reassuring smile and she returned it gratefully.

Up near the power room, Ellie looked over at Lorne and grinned at him.

"You weren't here when I woke up", he said and Ellie laughed.

"I know. I stepped over you and ran off…..I didn't know if you were a good guy or a bad guy at the time".

Reece laughed as Lorne pulled a hurt face as they waited for the system restore to begin.

"Okay Dr McKay, we're ready when you are", Sam's voice came through on the comms and Rodney wiggled his finger over the Enter button with some trepidation.

"Dr McKay?", Sam prompted when they heard nothing.

Ellie tapped her ear piece.

"Rodney? Do you want me to do it?", she asked, ignoring the killer look Lorne sent her.

"No…..I'm fine….stand by", Rodney replied eventually and they all waited in anticipation.

Rodney pressed the button and slowly but surely the city began to shake and judder and everyone looked at one another, their eyes huge with apprehension.

Eventually the electro-magnetic pulse burst forth from the centre of the city, spreading outwards as it had the last time and everyone collapsed into unconsciousness once more.

From the Daedalus, SG-1 observed, their eyebrows raised as they saw the pulse bounce outwards on the ships' scanners.

"Dr McKay?", Sam asked once the pulse had gone.

There was no reply.

"McKay? Dr Weir?", Mitchell asked.

Still nothing.

"Get us down there", he said to Caldwell as they moved together and Caldwell nodded to his second who began the beam down process.

**OOoOO**

Ellie groaned and rolled onto her side. She blinked and as her vision cleared she saw Lorne lying a few feet away from her.

"Evan…..", she mumbled, getting onto her knees and crawling over to him.

As she touched his face a wealth of memories flooded her mind and she smiled as she realised Sam's plan had worked.

She leaned closer to him and pressed her lips against his.

Lorne began to stir and he raised a hand and pushed it into Ellie's hair.

"Hey", he murmured against her mouth and she smiled.

"Hi", she whispered.

"That's one nice way to be woken up", Lorne said and she laughed.

"I love you", she said and Lorne tightened his hand in her hair as he sat up and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him again.

"I love you too", he replied eventually.

Suddenly Major Reece sat up and groaned as he rubbed his temples.

"Oh….my head….", he moaned and Ellie and Lorne looked at him.

"You okay Reece?", Lorne asked.

"Yeah…..great….I seem to have all my memories back at any rate", Reece replied.

"Good….so do we…..let's go see how everyone else is fairing", Lorne said as he and Ellie stood.

**OOoOO**

In the corridor outside the lab, Sheppard, Ronon, Weir, Teyla and Lyssa were all waking up.

"Ah, my head", Ronon groaned as he and Sheppard sat up.

"Well at least you've not got your blaster trained on me this time", Sheppard said and Ronon threw him a grin.

Suddenly Sheppard found himself flat on his back again as Lyssa launched herself at him.

"Oh John…..I am so, so sorry that I didn't believe you were my husband. You know I love you right?", she rushed, pressing kisses to his lips and face, making him smile.

"Yeah Lyss I know……", he replied, his arms going around her as Ronon and Teyla laughed.

"I really am sorry", Lyssa said, tears filling her eyes and Sheppard gripped her face in his hands.

"Sweetheart it's okay", he said, then just as she began to smile he added, "I have lots of ways that you can make it up to me….wanna hear some now or…….".

SG-1 beamed down and headed toward them just in time to see Lyssa about to beat her husband to a pulp………

The End

The teams will return in Loves' Secret


End file.
